TEAM NORMS:
• In PLCs norms represent protocols and
commitments developed by each team
to guide members in working together.
• Norms help team members clarify
expectations regarding how they will
work together to achieve their shared
goals.
A STRATEGY FOR ESTABLISHING TEAM NORMS
• Think of a past negative experience you
have had serving on a team or
committee and identify a specific
behavior that prevented your group from
being effective.
NEGATIVE EXPERIENCES – POSITIVE COMMITMENTS
• For example, whining or complaining, arriving
late and leaving early, texting during meeting,
being disengaged during the meetings, and
so on.
• For each negative norm identified by
members of your team, establish a positive
commitment statement (a norm) your team
should adopt that, if everyone adhered to it,
would prevent the past negative experience
from recurring.
(10 minute activity)
TIPS FOR ESTABLISHING TEAM NORMS
• Each team establishes its own norms.
• Norms are stated as commitments to act in certain
ways rather than as beliefs.
• Norms are reviewed at the beginning and end of each
meeting until each team member internalizes them.
• One norm should require the team to assess its
effectiveness at least twice during each school year.
• This assessment should include a review of members’
adherence to team norms and the need to add new
norms.
• Less is more. A few key norms are better than a
laundry list.
• Violation of norms should be addressed.
EXAMPLES OF TEAM NORMS:
•
We will maintain a positive tone at our meetings.
•
We will not complain about a problem unless we can
offer a solution.
•
We will begin and end our meetings on time and stay
fully engaged throughout each meeting.
•
We will contribute equally to the workload of this
team
•
We will listen respectfully and consider matters from
another’s perspective.